thrasher
07-22-2009, 11:48 AM
About 18 months ago, on a Sunday, we had a car hit a pole and break the crossarm and lean the pole. We responded and there was a fiber optic cable from the phone company also torn off the pole with the clamp to the thru bolt mangled and unusable. This left the fiber optic line hanging about 6-7 feet off the road. We called the phone company and told them that we could gaurd thier cable while repairing our stuff but they needed someone there within an hour. We figured we actually had about two hours of work including drive time for the line truck but if told the phone company one hour they could get there by time we were ready to leave. Anyway 2 hours later we are packing up and ready to leave, no phone company.
Call them back and they haven't even called anyone out because the cable is being gaurded; I guess they thought we were going to stick around till Monday for a regular crew to show up. We told them they had 30 minutes to get someone there or we were cutting it. Forty minutes later we cut it and rolled it out of the road.
Next day I called and filed a complaint with the SCC (our version of a Public Utility Commission). Five weeks later got a bill from the phone company for $6,300 to replace 300 feet of fiber optic cable. This started a major fight with the phone company, ourselves and the SCC. End result we didn't pay the bill and phone company was fined for "reckless indifference of the public". I hear they fought the fine and got it rescinded but the bill was voided. They now respond when it's fiber optic. If I could just get them to respond on everything else.
Call them back and they haven't even called anyone out because the cable is being gaurded; I guess they thought we were going to stick around till Monday for a regular crew to show up. We told them they had 30 minutes to get someone there or we were cutting it. Forty minutes later we cut it and rolled it out of the road.
Next day I called and filed a complaint with the SCC (our version of a Public Utility Commission). Five weeks later got a bill from the phone company for $6,300 to replace 300 feet of fiber optic cable. This started a major fight with the phone company, ourselves and the SCC. End result we didn't pay the bill and phone company was fined for "reckless indifference of the public". I hear they fought the fine and got it rescinded but the bill was voided. They now respond when it's fiber optic. If I could just get them to respond on everything else.